In the Red Room
by Xana Vlec
Summary: No one knew the secrets behind the walls of the Red Room Academy save for those that walked in its hallways. Little girls went to sleep, but each night, five girls never woke up again. Natasha-centric oneshot BlackHawk
1. Chapter 1

"_Tonight, you are to take Darya." The cold voice loomed over her shoulder as the young Natasha gave a quick bow. "You should know this by now, but do not have any mercy. Natasha," The redhead looked up at her master, "do not fail me. It would be a pity to lose you when you show so much promise. It would also be a disappointment to me as I have invested so much time in you."_

"_I will not fail you." The ten year old clicked her heels together and saluted the Leader before bowing away. Her mind was racing with what she would have to do. She slowly walked back to her room and sneaked back towards her bed. Her sleeping comrades surrounded her as she searched through her small bag of belongings. Very few things were in the rucksack, a hairbrush with extendable spikes, a handheld mirror with poison powder, and candy pack which became a dartgun. At the very bottom of the bag, she fished out a sheathed knife._

_She pulled the knife out of its sheath and watched as a sliver of green poison ran down the blade. Natasha stuffed the weapon back into its holder and attached the holster to her waist. She was ready. The girl swallowed nervously as she crept back into the corridor. The lights were all off and the light coming through the windows gave the place a ghastly hue. The Russian moon glowed blue as the girl hurried through the halls._

_G1, G2, G3, G4, G5. She stopped at the entrance to the doorway and took in a deep breath. Darya's face flashed into her mind. A thirteen year old with dark brown hair and brown eyes. The girl was Natasha's peer and had been a mentor to her for years now. And Natasha was going to thank her by killing her. Her heart raced as she unbolted the door and slid it open. She crept inside the room before sliding the door back into place._

_She walked silently past the first two bunkbeds and headed to the back of the room where Darya slept. She saw the girl sleeping on her side on the bottom bed. The faint moon lighting upon her face made a chill run up Natasha's spine. Darya looked so calm in her sleep. Natasha almost wanted to run, but she couldn't run. The Leader would kill her if she didn't even try. It was a die or die kind of thing._

_She slipped her knife out of its sheath and walked over to Darya. She held the knife over the brunette's head and quivered there. That was her mistake. Darya's brown eyes shot up and she whirled around to knock Natasha back with her fist. Natasha tumbled across the room and her knife slid out of her hand. She grunted as she hit the metal rim of the bed. Her eyes widened as Darya came flying at her, knife in hand._

_Natasha rolled to the side as a knife sliced the place where she had last been. There was no sentiment in these killings. It was the law of the Red Room. By the time you wake up in the morning, five more people will be dead. It was almost impossible to sleep knowing that you may be the one who is attacked next. It could be sister attacking sister or friend attacking friend. There were no guidelines to which these killings ran. Everyone just knew that they happened._

_Natasha scrambled over to where her poisoned knife lay and grabbed it in her hand. The adrenaline pumped through her veins as she clenched it in her fist. Darya came at her again with fierce determination lighting in the brunette's eyes. Natasha reached forward and grabbed Darya's hand as it descended, stalling the knife. She used her other hand and swung up towards the other girl, catching her in the neck._

_Darya let out a rasping gasp as the poisoned blade sliced against her throat. She quivered for a moment before raising a hand up to the side of her neck. Her eyes widened as no air made its way to her lungs. Darya shuddered before collapsing down over Natasha._

_The horrified ten year old felt tears rush down her face as she watched Darya die before her. And then she screamed._

"Tasha! Tasha, it's alright!" Clint shook his girlfriend to try and get her to wake as the redhead screamed in her sleep. Clint had never seen his girlfriend like this before. She was never afraid of anything!

Natasha startled out of her sleep and grabbed the knife that always slept close to her chest. She whirled around and sliced at the unknown figure only to have her hand grabbed midway. She thrashed as she tried to escape the grip of her unknown attacker.

"Tasha! It's me! Calm down!" Natasha froze as the voice finally registered in her brain.

"Clint..." She had just tried to kill Clint. No, no, no. She shook as the knife fell from her hand to the bed sheets. "I-I..." She stuttered out as her brain tried to catch up from everything that was whirling in her mind.

"Sh... It's alright, Tasha." Clint pulled the redhead into his chest and rubbed circles on her back. He whispered soothing words into her ear as Natasha clung onto him and sobbed. "It'll be alright."

"I was back there, Clint! I killed her, Clint! I killed my sister!" Natasha screamed as she cried hysterically. "Darya was only thirteen and I murdered her and watched her die!"

Clint swallowed as he let Natasha cry. "It's over now, Tasha. You aren't there and you won't ever have to return. You're safe with me. Fall back to sleep, Tasha. I'll be here for you."

"You had better be," Natasha murmured softly as Clint crawled into bed beside her. She snuggled into his chest, closed her eyes, and slept peacefully until sunrise.

* * *

**Author's Note: This plot bunny came up and I just had to write it. (: I loved the potential it had as a story. Yes, Darya was her sister. Her peer for many years and close friend was also her sister. Sister is used metaphorically since they both came from the same orphanage, but they had lived together for many years , and they were as close as sisters. This is what happened in the Red Room Academy. (;**

**Review please?**


	2. Chapter 2

Things can be so unfair  
You were taken away  
Before your time  
**-Memories by EarlyRise**

_Darya's corpse had been hauled off a few minutes later. Natasha didn't sleep for the rest of that night. Instead she listened to the rumble going on in the room next to hers. Everyone in her dorm stayed awake because they knew a murderer was in the room and another was in the room beside them. A scream erupted from the room over, and the young girl flinched. The sound was too familiar. Though Darya did not scream, it still reminded Natasha of what she had just done. She hugged herself tightly and curled up in her bed, sobbing herself to sleep. _

_When morning broke, Natasha's eyes were puffy with tears. She followed the crowd out into the hallways and to the central room. Their Leader stood on a stage and was standing confidently in front of a podium. His hand was pulled down over his eyes and his hands were clasped behind his back. All the girls had learned well enough that if he was like that, then he was in a good mood. He was in a bad mood if the hat was gone. _

"_My dear widows. Five more of your sisters have died during the night. Agafya, Masha, Polina, Darya, and Faina are no longer with us. Stay strong, my widows, and you will survive. Those that have died and are weak. They never belonged in your ranks. I applaud those of you that have cast aside your former friendships with those viruses to help your sisters," said the Leader. His voice resonated over the crowd. Natasha held back a scream as she wanted to say that Darya wasn't weak. Darya never should have had to die. Natasha was the one that was weak for doing it. _

"_You are now dismissed." Natasha turned away from the meeting room and quickly made her way back to the outer courtyard. Smoke curled up from the furnace in the back as two soldiers stood outside it. They reached down to grab another of the body bags before hurling them into the open flames. Natasha held a hand over her mouth to keep out the stench of burning flesh and run up to the soldiers. _

"_Wait, don't take that one," she said, pointing to the last body bag. Darya's brown hair fell out onto the ground though the rest of her was concealed. "I want to take care of her myself." One of the soldiers raised a brow before nodding. The widows were often allowed to take their victims to test techniques out. Was their aim good enough to slice through an artery and the like. _

_The small girl walked over to the canvas bag and grabbed the drawstrings. She tried to keep from retching as she lugged the bag over her shoulder. Darya was already beginning to smell of death. Natasha walked away from the shoulders, not even bothering to wave a goodbye. She had to get away from there. It was too disgusting because of the other burning bodies. _

_She fended off the disgusted looks from her peers as she marched away with the body. One even stopped her to ask if she had already done enough to Darya. They made Natasha feel persecuted, but she marched on. She wasn't going to let Darya just be burned like the rest of them. In the far corner of the grounds, Natasha came upon a small clearing. _

_One of the rare birds of the ground chirped as it hopped through the trees. Small flowers grew along the edges of the grass and sunlight glowed upon the ground. It was one of the only safe havens upon the entire campus, and for that she was thankful. No one would find Darya here. Natasha dropped Darya carefully against one of the trees and whispered an apology. She then turned to the clearing and glanced at her hands. _

_She gripped them tightly into fists before plunging them into the ground. She couldn't ask for a shovel, so she would have to do this the hard way. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours. She pulled the last pile of dirt out and tossed it to the side. The redhead heaved as she pulled herself out of the small ditch. It was only a foot or two deep, but it was as much as she could manage. The dirt under her nails dirtied the canvas bag as Natasha pulled it away from Darya. _

_She cringed back as she saw her handiwork. She swallowed and continued to pull the bag away. She shook the canvas out before laying it down inside of the dirt tomb. At least Darya would have something soft to lie on if there was an afterlife. Maybe something sweeter than this world would be waiting for Darya. _

_Natasha laid Darya down in the ditch before looking down at her handiwork. She reached down and crossed Darya's hands over her chest. She reached two fingers up to shut the elder girl's eyes before pulling away. A tear slid down her face before falling down onto Darya's cheek. Natasha hurriedly wiped it away before standing up. She looked back to the pile of dirt before looking at Darya again. "I-" Natasha broke off before choking out, "I'm sorry, Darya. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. If I had done everything differently, you never would have died." _

_Having someone sent to kill you meant you had done something wrong. Sometimes the pairs were random, other times they were purposeful. "If you hadn't covered for me, then maybe things wouldn't be like this." Natasha sobbed as she held up her dirty hands to her face. "I'm sorry, Darya! Wherever you go, please don't hate me!" _

Natasha shivered in her bed as sweat rolled off of her. It was another one of those dreams. Darya... Natasha felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes again. Darya had always been there to support and help her. It was Natasha's fault that Darya was chosen to be killed. She should have been the one dead, not Darya. Darya was always the kind and caring one while Natasha was the socially awkward and violent one. No world could be fair if Darya was the one chosen to die.

She gripped the sheets tightly between her fingers as she stared up at the ceiling. On the other side of the room, she could hear Clint snoring. He had forcefully decided that he'd stay in her room to make sure she wouldn't have a nightmare again. Part of her wanted to go over to him and wake up him, but the other said that she was Black Widow and she would be fine on her own. A few more tears slipped down her face, and Natasha crawled out of bed. She quietly moved to the chair where Clint was sleeping and asked, "Clint?"

The man drowsily opened his eyes and mumbled a "wazzat?" before looking up at Natasha. His eyes snapped open into awareness and he bolted up from his chair. "Nat? What's wrong?" He ran a hand through her slick hair, wet with sweat. He looked at her worriedly and planted a kiss against her forehead. "Was it another nightmare?"

Natasha nodded silently and leaned against him. She wrapped her arms around Clint and cried. Did Darya hate her? She should, after all, it was all Natasha's fault. She regretted it so much, but she couldn't do anything about it anymore.

Clint didn't know what to do in situations like this. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know that Natasha was sad. So he quietly rubbed circles on her back and sung a soft song into her ear. "I don't know what it was that you dreamt of, but I know that no matter what, I will always love you, Nat. It'll all be all right now. Trust me."

But it wasn't the future that she was afraid of, it was the past. And was the feelings of a girl that Natasha knew she could never reach anymore.

**Author's Note: Red Room Rogue asked for a one-shot continuation so here it is! :3 I had a lot of fun writing it, so thanks so much for the idea!**


	3. Chapter 3

Everything burns, everyone screams  
Burning their lies, burning my dreams  
All of this hate, and all of this pain  
Burn it all down,  
**-Everything Burns by Anastacia**

"_Oh shove off." Darya pushed the black haired girl away and put a hand on her hip. "Stop bothering Tasha already. You're acting like a brat." She flipped her brown hair to the side before walking back to the small redhead that was huddling on the ground. She bent down beside the younger girl and patted her softly on the head. "There, there now. Shura won't bother you anymore." _

_Natasha sniffled and looked up at the elder girl sadly. A large red spot was growing on her right temple from where Shura had hit her only a few moment ago. "Thank you, Darya. I'm sorry that this happened," said Natasha quietly. _

"_Hey, hey. It's not your fault. Shura was just being a brat. It's not your fault. Now get up. We can't let them see you crying like that, so perk up." Natasha nodded and forced herself to her feet. She wobbled for a moment before stabilizing. She ran a tiny hand through her messy hair and took in a deep breath. Darya brushed the younger girl off before straightening up and looking around. "Pretend that you're sparring with me. Leader is coming around soon and you can't look like you're doing nothing." _

_Natasha hesitated for a moment before dropping low and knocking Darya's knees out from under her. Darya landed on her hands before pushing back into a roll. She landed on her feet and sprung forward to engage Natasha. The younger girl slipped off to the side and elbowed Darya in the chest, forcing her away and to the ground. _

_Out of the corner of her eye, Natasha noticed that the Leader was talking with Shura. Fear filled her as she noticed how Shura was pointing towards Darya who was just getting up from the ground. Natasha opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out as she looked from Shura to Darya. When Darya came at her again, all she could do was respond and hope that nothing would come of that conversation. _

_Unfortunately, the Leader walked over towards them. Darya noticed his approach and a look of horror flickered into her eyes before being replaced by a calm facade. But Natasha had noticed it. The two girls halted in their spar and turned to bow to the elder man as he neared. "Rise." The two girls looked up from their waist-bow to see him looking down at them with a disdainful look in his eyes. _

"_What is this I hear about you defending Natasha whilst she was in a spar with Shura? I thought better of you, Darya. You know that love and care is for children. You are training to become the Black Widow, and the Black Widow will be no child." The man hissed out venomously. Natasha could see his fingers straightening out and instinctively took a small step back. He looked like that when he was about to slap people, and she knew it. _

_True to his nature, the Leader stepped forward and backhanded Darya across her left cheek. The brunette tumbled to the ground and lay there silently, knowing that if she got up, she'd risk incurring more of the leader's wrath. "I do not tolerate weakness, Darya. You will never show this pathetic deficiency every again." The was his voice lowered at the end made Natasha worry. It was the sound he made when he was promising pain. _

_And he was the Leader. He never made promises that he didn't keep._

Natasha stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily. It happened again, those dreams. If only Darya hadn't tried to help her. If only she hadn't been so weak. It was all her fault. All of it. Darya wouldn't have died then if she was just a little more courageous. They could have at least tried to escape. Something, anything would have been better than murdering her in the middle of the night.

She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stop the shaking. It didn't work. She looked over the mound of pillows that they had used to cordon off the bed to see Clint sleeping peacefully on the other side. She wondered if she should wake him, biting her lip. Eventually she whispered out, "Clint?" If he didn't wake up, she wouldn't bother him further, but he did.

Clint's eyes shot open and rolled over to look at where the sound had come from. Seeing Natasha, he pushed himself up from the bed. These past few days he had hardly been getting any sleep, but if Natasha needed him, he would always be there. "Another nightmare, Tasha?" She nodded and he pulled her into a hug. "What was it this time?" He ran a calming hand through her hair and rocked her back and forth.

"Darya saved me. She shouldn't have helped me. Because she helped me, she was chosen. It would have been better if she didn't, even if I died. She never would have died otherwise. She was too smart for that, but she couldn't bring herself to kill me. I know it!" Natasha yelled into his chest. Her voice was muffled, but Clint clenched at her words.

"Don't talk like that, Tasha. Darya protected you because she wanted to protect you, because she cared for you. Don't talk about throwing yourself away like that. I love you, Tasha. I know you're worth more than you think." Clint said softly as he held her close. He wished he could do more than say a few words and hold her close to him. He wished he could relieve the fears that tormented her as she slept. It obviously wasn't healthy for her, and he knew it was tearing her apart inside.

"But... It's all my fault. There's no other way to explain it, Clint! It all just comes back to my mistake." Natasha shook her head weakly as she tried to quell the shaking. Her restless sleep was beginning to affect her in more ways than one. Her eyes were wide with unshed tears and her mind was a mess. She could hardly function properly anymore.

"If that's true, then you have to accept it and move on. Tasha, I've thought for many years now about my brother. He might have never turned evil if I joined the army, like he wanted me to. We could have been together and maybe I could have saved him from turning into what he became. I could have looked out for him and prevented his turning into... that." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But I moved on from it, Tasha. What's done is done. You have to see that."

Natasha bit her lip and said, "I see it, but I can't make myself believe it."

* * *

**Author's Note: Drat. This becoming a one-shot series. I'm not quite sure how that happened. Oops. I think this is the last one though. 8'D We'll see. **


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